Web Hosting Rating

How to Become a Web Host

You probably ran across many different companies when looking for a place to host your website.  Looking at all the monthly fees, you begin to wonder if any of these web hosting companies are making money.  The answer is a definite yes.  In fact, web hosting is a multi-million dollar per year industry, employing thousands of people and essentially powering the internet.  The primary focus of these companies is to provide around-the-clock service to make sure the sites of corporations and personal users are accessible to the world.

If you’re struggling with ideas of how to profit on the internet, getting into the web hosting business is a good place to start.  It’s easier than you may think but there are some critical phases that must be completed in order to succeed.

Phase 1

Your first step is to find a provider that offers a reseller account.  With reselling, you purchase a hosting plan at anywhere from $25 to $100 per month which gets you a certain amount of features and server capacity.  After purchasing a plan, you have the power to divide up the provided space and sell hosting accounts to other businesses and personal users.  Most companies will set you up with a control panel that allows you to manage the accounts of your clients with ease.  Some will also refer a merchant account provider, enabling you to process online credit card payments from your clients.  A good company will set you up with all the tools need to run your business just like a traditional web hosting provider.

Phase 2

After signing up a few customers and establishing your business, it’s time to step up into the big leagues.  This means you need to invest into a dedicated server.  This arena gives you far more flexibility as your business does not have to compete with other resellers on the provider’s shared server.  When you reach this second phase, your best bet would be to install reseller control panel software such as Ensim or Plesk to effectively manage your clients and the server itself.  Although a reseller account on a dedicated server will be more expensive, several companies have dropped the price on these plans, some offering accounts for around $100 per month.

Phase 3

When profiting with your reseller account on a dedicated server, you just may be established enough to become a certified web hosting provider.  This reward often comes with a huge investment of capital.  You have the option of renting out a data center to store your servers and network equipment or building a facility of your own.  Of course this requires a lot of dedication, but if you’ve made it this far, you already know the reward is well worth it.

As of 2006 there was reported to be well over 8,000 web hosting companies through out the globe.  Do you have that competitive edge?  If so, a reseller account just could be your ticket to success.

General Tips for Choosing a Web Host

With thousands of providers offering service, choosing a web host can more of a challenge than you may imagine. By doing a bit of homework in the beginning, you can learn what web hosting has to offer and find the best provider for your specific needs.

Assess Your Needs

Before deciding on a web host, it’s a good idea to carefully analyze your needs. What do you plan to do with your website? Will it contain a lot of images? Will it be designed for visitor interaction? If so, your website will require a decent amount of storage and bandwidth. Do you need an email that associates the website with your business? If so, you may need a host that provides anti-spam utilities. How do you plan to build the site? If you do not possess a web design ability, you may need a plan that offers advanced databases and publishing tools. A good rule of thumb is to jot down a list of the features you think your site requires – this will go a long way in finding a host that’s suitable for the cause.

Looking For a Host

After covering the basics and figuring out what’s needed, it’s time to get on the hunt for a web host. This is actually the easiest part of the ordeal. Many sites will direct you to a number of quality providers. You can also perform a search through a popular engine like Google or Yahoo. Simple type in “Web Hosting” and you will literally receive thousands of results. You can also look for web hosting reviews to learn if clients and experts have anything bad to report on these services.

Reliability

When comparing web hosts, you want to look for signs that indicate their level of reliability. For instance, many web hosting companies will guarantee an up-time of 99.9%, which is now pretty much an industry standard. Keep in mind that this type of guarantee doesn’t necessarily cover network attacks and natural disasters. This is why you should investigate the company in question to learn what extra measures they are taking to protect your data. A reliable provider will store web sites on multiple servers in off site locations. They apply additional security with backup generators, 24/7 monitoring and alarm systems. This is all information that should be documented and easily accessible on the provider’s website. If you a can’t find these details or a company will not disclose them, simply move on to the next candidate.

Budgeting

Web hosting is generally inexpensive, however you must determine what you can afford to pay. A free service, or one for only $1.95 per month, may seem like a great value – but what about the features? Is customer support available when you get in a jam? On the other hand, there are many low-priced companies offering quality service, these are actually some of the most well-known providers in the business. With so many competitors, it’s easy to find a reliable, feature-rich web hosting package for under $5 per month. When finding a host that suits your budget, you should then find out about the payment schedule. Is it month to month? Yearly? This could play a huge factor on whether you purchase service now or later.

In the End

When it comes down to it, you want a web hosting service you feel comfortable with. You should be satisfied with the features, the security and support system. Although technology has made transferring service a bit easier, it would be good to find a host that meets all of your needs right now. This will allow you to remain focused on making your mark on the web.